diego rivera, the beginning

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2 diego rivera, the beginning Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato, Mexico in He was an imaginative child who loved animals. Hurry up and take the photo I ve got poisonous animals to train to do my bidding. He spent a lot of time in the forest with his pet goat He claimed to make friends with all the animals even the dangerous & poisonous ones

3 diego rivera, the beginning I don t always paint self portraits. But when I do, I m smoking a pipe and having a beer. Stay thirsty, amigos. -Diego Rivera The Most Interesting Muralist in Mexico Self Portrait (1907) As he grew older, Diego began drawing He loved to draw inventions he created in his imagination and parts of his toys that he took apart He drew everywhere including the walls! His father covered an entire room in canvas for him

4 A 10 year old with a plan Diego decided he would be an artist at the age of 10 He was very stubborn and there was no changing his mind He was an excellent student & his parents sent him to the San Carlos Art Academy in Mexico City There was something missing from the curriculum at the art academy: Mexican Art He learned how to draw & paint He learned techniques of the great artists of Europe The Bullfighter (1909)

5 And the Mexican artists? Diego found his own teacher to learn about Mexican art. He watched José Posada create drawings and prints at his shop Gran Calavera Eléctrica (Grand Electric Skull) by José Posada, Posada created energetic depictions of Mexican legends, unlike anything Diego had ever seen He also created political cartoons

6 The mood in mexico During the time Diego was growing up, the Mexican people were suffering Not enough money to live/enjoy life Few people could read Many people lived like slaves The government wasn t working As Diego grew up, this bothered him more and more Collage of Mexican Revolution (Wikipedia)

7 Rivera on the riviera Europe loves me big deal. I want more. At the age of 20, Diego left for Europe. He befriended famous artists like Pablo Picasso & Amedeo Modigliani Their works influenced Diego s House Over the Bridge (1909) He was doing well in Europe, but knew something was missing

8 The people s artist Diego did not like that his work was only being enjoyed by the well-educated, wealthy people He believed that art was meant for everyone especially the poor, working people Art could teach them about their past & give them hope for the future The Arrival of Cortés (1951) So, I m not sure Cortes was the hero he s made out to be.

9 Italian inspiration The History of Mexico ( ) The walls of Italian churches are decorated with frescoes large paintings directly on the wall for everyone to see Diego knew his purpose He would return to Mexico and make the same type of paintings for ALL people to enjoy

10 The mural man Upon returning to Mexico, Diego was asked to paint a large mural for a prominent school. Titled, Creation, the mural is 23 feet x 39 feet Everyone LOVED it! Creation ( )

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12 The mural man Requests for more murals came pouring in Diego created his own style, more Mexican in feeling (not European) The Flower Seller (unknown) Other artists like David Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco began creating murals in Mexico

13 Art as social commentary Diego painted leaders who were fighting to improve things in Mexico Some people didn t agree with the political paintings & would throw rocks at the murals & the artist! Diego eventually armed himself for protection The Uprising (1931)

14 Rivera in america In the 1930s, Diego was invited to paint several murals in the US Detroit Industry is on the walls of the art museum in Detroit Michigan He found beauty in the machinery Detroit Industry ( ) as well as the people

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16 Rivera don t care-a One of Diego s murals, Man at the Crossroads, was literally torn off the wall in the US He insisted on painting Russian revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin, who was unpopular in the US Diego Rivera was a lifelong member of the Communist Party TEAR IT Man, Controller of the Universe ( ) DOWN! GO HOME! BOO! GET OUT, COMMIE!

17 Rivera don t care-a The mural was meant to be on the ground floor of Rockefeller Center in New York City. Diego had been concerned that Rockefeller might destroy the work, so he had an assistant take photos. He recreated a smaller replica of the mural, retitled Man, Controller of the Universe, at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City The new version contains Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, (all associated with Communisim) and Charles Darwin (Father of the Theory of Evolution) To further insult the Rockefellers, Rivera painted John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (who was opposed to alcohol) drinking in a nightclub with a woman and above their heads is a dish of syphilis bacteria.

18 Man, controller of the universe Darwin Rockefeller diegorivera.org Lenin Engels, Marx, and Trotsky

19 Outrageous until the end Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo sometimes painted each other in their works During his 71 years, Diego and his wife Frida Kahlo (also a famous artist) attracted a lot of attention Detail from Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park (1948) Not all of the attention was good Diego painted whatever he felt no matter what anyone thought Illustrating the history & beauty of the Mexican people was most important to him

20 Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park (1948)